


listen up

by thunderylee



Category: KAT-TUN (Band)
Genre: Angst, Canon Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-07-15
Updated: 2010-07-15
Packaged: 2019-01-30 19:07:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12659571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thunderylee/pseuds/thunderylee
Summary: Prompt: Listen.





	listen up

**Author's Note:**

> reposted from agck.

“Don’t walk away from me!” Nakamaru’s voice echoes down the empty staircase. “Jin!”

The thundering down the metal steps ceases abruptly, and all Nakamaru can think is that the sound is misleading because Jin weighs less than when he left initially. He leaves his front door open – Mister knows better than to go where the food is not – and jogs down the hallway until he sees the back of Jin’s head.

His hair is unstyled under the old baseball cap, the long strands frizzy and going their own way much like the man to whom they’re attached. “I don’t know what’s going on in that big head of yours,” Nakamaru says gently, a little out of breath as he stops a few steps behind and leans on the railing. “But you need to stop.”

“No, I get that,” Jin mutters darkly. “That’s all I’ve heard since this started. ‘Stop being selfish, Akanishi’. ‘Stop letting everyone down’.”

Ordinarily Nakamaru isn’t this brutal, but because it’s Jin and he’s known him for ten years his hand naturally lifts to smack him in the back of the head. “That is exactly what you need to stop. Stop thinking those ridiculous things like they’re the truth!”

“I may not be very smart but I can read,” Jin goes on in that flat voice that makes Nakamaru want to strangle him. “In both English and Japanese, by the way.”

Now Nakamaru reaches for his collar, spinning him around and causing him to lose his balance. Luckily they are only two steps from the first landing, but Jin instinctively grabs for Nakamaru and they tumble down together.

“Oof,” breathes Jin as Nakamaru lands right on top of him. “You’re heavy for such a skinny dude.”

Nakamaru takes advantage of the situation to hover over him and stare hard into his eyes. “You know better than to believe what people say. If it doesn’t come straight from our mouths, it isn’t true!”

“It’s not just you-” Jin starts.

Nakamaru punches the ground, then winces as he shakes the pain out of his fist. “We’re the only ones who matter!”

Jin blinks, looking up at him with big eyes that shine with uncertainty and hurt. “I’m scared that I won’t have a group to come back to if I fail,” he says quietly, his voice barely a whisper. “You guys are reforming without me.”

The word ‘reform’ hits Nakamaru hard, because in a way Jin’s right. Even if the word hasn’t been tossed around so casually since NEWS came back after losing two members. “It’s nothing you can’t catch up on when you’re… done.” He chooses his words carefully. “What you’re doing right now, Jin, it’s such a breakthrough. For yourself, for KAT-TUN, for Johnny’s as a whole and possibly the entire country. You could be starting a trend for Japanese artists in America, don’t you know that?”

“It doesn’t matter-”

“You’re not hearing me!” Nakamaru cuts him off, trying not to raise his voice. There’s no reason to yell when he’s already right in Jin’s face. “Did you ever stop to think that we might be joining _you_ in the future? You’re just the beginning, Jin. The natural next step is to have us _all_ performing over there, as KAT-TUN.”

Jin scoffs. “You _all_ need to work on your English then.”

Nakamaru laughs, resting his head on Jin’s shoulder because he’s tired of holding it up. “Nobody knows what the future is going to bring, Jin,” he mumbles into Jin’s quickly rising and falling chest. “Everything is so up in the air and we’re all taking it one day at a time. But I can tell you that no one resents you or is mad at you for doing this, for yourself _or_ for us, and we all miss you a ridiculous amount.”

“You do?” Jin asks, sounding just like the uncertain teenager he was ten years ago, and Nakamaru gives him a halfhearted punch to the side. “Even Kame?”

“Kame misses you the _most_ ,” Nakamaru replies. “He doesn’t have anyone to compete with anymore.”

Five years ago Jin would have tensed up, overly concerned with their reputation as a group and getting along with everyone, particularly Kame, but now he just laughs hard enough to shake Nakamaru on top of him. “It wouldn’t be KAT-TUN without rivalry, would it?”

“It’s our member love,” Nakamaru jokes, and Jin laughs harder. “It’s not the same without our A.”

The amusement dies but Jin’s heart is beating slowly, Nakamaru can feel it from where he lays with no intentions of getting up. From the way Jin’s arms rest on Nakamaru’s back, he’s not the only one.

“Your A is trying his best,” Jin says with a sigh. “All alone~”

Nakamaru punches him again. “You’re not alone, stupid. We’re in this together whether you sing with us or not.”

He thinks Jin finally gets it, falling quiet as he leans his head against Nakamaru’s. “I miss your ugly face.”

Nakamaru wouldn’t expect anything less from this one.


End file.
